Suspects in official’s murder want bail

Mankweng - Three men and a teenager accused of kidnapping and killing a Limpopo government official applied for bail in the Sekhukhune Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.

The matter was postponed to February 6, police spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said. No further details were available.

The four are accused of kidnapping Ephraim Mashiane, 54, a director in the province's economic development department. Mashiane went missing on September 1 last year. His burnt-out car was later found in Ga-Mothapo, about 35km east of Polokwane.

His body was found floating in Schoonoord Dam in Sekhukhune, about 150km from the initial crime scene, a month after his disappearance. He had been stabbed several times.

It was believed that he was hijacked before being killed.

The four were arrested on January 1. Two of them are 19-years-old, one is 16 and the other 20. They have been charged with kidnapping, hijacking, and murder. - Sapa